Before you start

Passport, and for a resident account the residence permit with your IDNP
Proof of a Chișinău address
A Moldovan mobile number for two-factor authentication
Documentary evidence of where your income comes from

Step-by-step

1
Decide whether you need a resident account yet
Several banks will open a non-resident account on a passport and proof of address, which is enough to hold money and pay for things. The full resident product needs the residence permit and IDNP. Ask explicitly for the non-resident version if you need banking before the permit lands.
In personWho: You
2
Choose on branch language and app quality, not on rates
maib, Moldindconbank, Victoriabank and OTP Bank Moldova offer comparable retail products. What differs in practice is whether the branch you will actually use runs the appointment in English, and how good the app is. Central Chișinău branches are much better on the first than suburban ones.
In personWho: You
3
Bring the source-of-funds story in documents, not in conversation
Expect to be asked where the money comes from, and to show it: an employment contract, an IT Park residency certificate for your employer, or the foreign contract behind a digital nomad permit. This is the step that most often turns a same-day account opening into a two-week one.
In personWho: You
4
Open a euro sub-account from the start
Rents and many freelance invoices in Chișinău are quoted in euro and settled in lei. Holding a euro balance alongside the lei one removes a conversion at every step. Most banks give you both currencies on one account for nothing.
Mobile appWho: You
5
Set the app up in the branch, before you leave
Enrolment depends on SMS to a Moldovan number and is the step most likely to fail once you are out of the door. Do it at the desk with someone who can fix it.
In personWho: You
6
Keep some cash for the parts of the economy that still want it
Cards work almost everywhere in Chișinău, including in most taxis. What still runs on cash is Piața Centrală and the smaller markets, rutieră minibus fares, some landlords and a good deal of village Moldova. A few hundred lei on hand covers all of it.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
Residence permit with IDNP, for a resident account
Proof of Chișinău address
Moldovan mobile number
Employment contract or other documentary evidence of income

Things most newcomers don’t know

The IDNP is the key to everything and it arrives with the residence permit, not before it.

Your state personal identification number is issued with the permit and is what banks, the tax service, the health fund and your employer's payroll all key on. Until it exists you are limited to a non-resident product and locked out of the online public services portal. This is the practical reason to file with IGM in your first week rather than your last.

Source: General Inspectorate for Migration

Moldovan bank compliance is stricter than the country's income level would lead you to expect, and there is a reason.

In 2014 roughly a billion dollars — about an eighth of GDP — disappeared from three Moldovan banks in a matter of days. The supervisory regime that followed is genuinely rigorous about the origin of funds, particularly inbound foreign transfers to a newly opened account. This is not suspicion of you; it is a system that was rebuilt after a national catastrophe. Bring the paperwork.

Source: National Bank of Moldova

Rents are quoted in euro and paid in lei, and the exchange rate risk sits with you.

Chișinău's rental market prices almost entirely in euro while the legal currency is the leu, which the National Bank fixes fresh each business day. If your salary is in lei and your rent is in euro, your housing cost moves month to month and your income does not. Ask whether the lease can fix a rate or agree a band, and get whatever is agreed written into the contract.

Source: community-reported

Card acceptance in Chișinău is better than the city's reputation, which catches people out in both directions.

Moldova skipped the cheque era and went to contactless, so cards work in supermarkets, restaurants, taxis and most kiosks in the capital. Newcomers expecting a cash economy withdraw far more than they need. The genuine cash exceptions are the markets, the rutiere and rural Moldova — where they are absolute rather than partial.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Trying to open a full resident account before the residence permit and IDNP exist.
Turning up without documentary evidence of where your income comes from.
Holding only a lei account while paying rent quoted in euro.
Letting the bank's copy of your residence permit expire and having the account restricted.
Assuming card acceptance extends to the markets and the minibuses. It does not.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.